494 Gazetted Green, Open Spaces In Kuala Lumpur Now Accessible To Public - Hannah

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- A total of 494 gazetted green and open spaces in the capital, published online, are now accessible to the public through the implementation of an open data initiative.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said the move was implemented for the first time to enhance transparency and public participation in the protection of urban green spaces.

“The implementation of open data is an important reform to strengthen transparency and public participation. The public can now access the full list of gazetted green and open spaces via the MyHijau icon on the official website of the Federal Territories Land and Mines Office (PPTGWP),” she said at a press conference at Taman Rimba Bukit Kerinchi here today.

Also present were Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud and Federal Territories Land and Mines director Datin Rahilah Rahmat.

Hannah said the initiative was in line with aspirations long voiced by civil society and coalitions of Kuala Lumpur residents’ associations, including the outcomes of engagement sessions held on Jan 20 and 21.

She said green and open spaces not only served as recreational areas but also functioned to connect communities, support healthy lifestyles and enhance urban climate resilience.

“With this open data, the public can find out which sites have been gazetted. If there are any efforts to convert green spaces to other uses, they can refer to the list and submit objections. Without access to such information, they would not know and would not be able to act,” she said.

Hannah also said that 256 remaining sites were still in the process of being gazetted at various stages, depending on the procedures and technical requirements of each case.

She said the Federal Territories Department had set up a Special Task Force on the Gazettement of Open and Green Spaces to look into technical issues, strengthen inter-agency coordination and ensure the gazettement process could be expedited.

“Every case has a process for it to be gazetted, so every case is different in terms of where it is at. I cannot give you a time frame, but I have told all of them, let’s make it happen as fast as possible,” she said.

-- BERNAMA